A plethora of nuclei in the thalamus and the brain stem keep the forebrain sufficiently aroused for experience to occur. None of these structures, with their distinct chemical signatures, is responsible for generating the content of that experience, but they make experience possible. The endpoint of their efforts is the sixteen billion neurons in the cerebral cortex and their close associates in the thalamus, the amygdala, the claustrum, and the basal ganglia. By controlling the release of a cocktail of neurotransmitters, the intralaminar nuclei and other nuclei in the catacombs of the brain
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